Part of “CHAPTER 100 – MENOPAUSE“

Menopause designates the permanent cessation of menses, which women experience at the average age of 51 years. This is but one aspect of the climacteric, the end of a woman’s reproductive potential, when she experiences endocrinologic, somatic, and psychological changes. The changes that occur at menopause are related both to aging and to decreased estrogen levels, and it is difficult to quantify the respective effects of each.